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Friday, April 8, 2011

Here Piggy piggy!

Soooo....what does the Wench love *almost* as much as CHEESE? PIG. All things pig. Bacon, chops, loin, trotters, belly, cheeks, shanks... you name it. Where is her favorite place to get great pork? Close to home.

Meet Some of My Favorite Meat

My friend Stephen Green is awesome. He is a husband, a father and a very funny guy. He's a former Army Paratrooper who served overseas in the 80's and graduated from the University of Georgia. He serves up my favorite brats for breakfast on Saturday mornings at the Cherry Street Farmer's Market. The coolest thing about my friend Stephen however, is that he's a farmer. The really good kind. The kind that you don't see enough of anymore. On his farm "Pork & Greens" Stephen grows beautiful heirloom vegetables in Broken Arrow, and raises FANTASTIC heritage breed pork.

Nope, it's NOT all the same.

For those that don't know, there is a HUGE difference in commercially produced pork, and properly raised pastured pigs. The piglets of Pork & Greens begin life as they were meant to, in a comfy spacious pen with plenty of room for trampling each other while vying for the "prime" nursing spot. Piglets in many large factory farms that suffer from overcrowding (and boredom from being penned up all day) can end up with tail biting problems. To prevent this, their tails are often docked and their teeth clipped. Stephen's piglets are never subjected to that. Overcrowding and being locked up all day can also increase the occurrence of disease, requiring the use of antibiotics that can end up in your food. Not at Pork & Greens. Many factory farms use growth hormones to speed up the rate at which the pigs reach market weight, also something Stephen refuses to do. Instead, he prefers raising healthy, happy clover-grazed pork. The best part? It just tastes better.

Want some?

I thought so. Luckily, you are a mere day away from enjoying some of the best piggy around. Stephen can be found each Saturday morning at the Cherry Street Farmer's Market and on Wednesday mornings at 41st & Peoria. In the off season, Stephen keeps us fed through the Tulsa Clean Food Market.

For a great way to try delicious products graciously donated by many local growers, and help a good cause, get your tickets for the Northeatern Oklahoma Farm to Table Dinner on Saturday, May 21st benefiting the Tulsa Akdar Shrine Center. Chefs Jennifer Spears, Dan Potter (host of KRMG's OK Foodie), Jeremiah Ramey and Amanda Simcoe (The Cheese Wench) will prepare a multi-course meal paired with local wines and beer. Tickets are $65 per person and seating is limited. To reserve your spot, call 918.836.2500.